Nininger & Nininger (1950), The Nininger Collection of Meteorites, DOUBLY SIGNED

Characteristics: Nininger H.H., Nininger A.D. (1950), The Nininger Collection of Meteorites. A Catalogue and a History. Winslow, Arizona, 1950, 144 pp., 38 Pls., hardcover, and signed by both authors, making this presentation copy of the rare collection catalogue even more desirable. An inscription reads: “To our good friends”. Also includes the owner’s bookplate on endpaper (Rosalie Brown) and crossed out “Yavapal Gem & Mineral Society/October, 1950” (some wear on the hard cover, see pictures for details and condition).

Harvey H. Nininger (1887–1986) was the first person ever to make a living solely out of finding, collecting, trading, selling, studying, and exhibiting meteorites. Formerly a biology professor at McPherson College, Kansas, Nininger became an expert in the field of meteorites very quickly, at a time when space rocks were still considered mere curios. With his wife Addie, they established The Nininger Laboratory, renamed the American Meteorite Laboratory (AML) in 1937. In 1946, Nininger leased a building, known as the ‘observatory’, on Highway 66 next to Meteor Crater, Arizona, to create his own institution, the American Meteorite Museum (AMM). This was the first museum in the world dedicated to rocks from space. If many visitors came in the first few years, the income of the AMM was cut in half by 1949 following the opening of a new highway, which made the museum more remote. As a consequence, Nininger started to make efforts to find a purchaser for his collection. In 1950, the catalogue of The Nininger Collection was published, in an attempt to sale it in its entirety (Nininger, 1950).

Provenance: Presentation copy by the Niningers (at the Yavapal Gem & Mineral Society/October, 1950?) / Rosalie Brown ex-libris

About us: We collect historic collectibles previously owned by famous collectors and/or institutions, and which represent milestones in the history of collecting. We consider all domains of collecting, from naturalia (minerals, meteorites, fossils, shells, etc.) to artificialia (coins, stamps, sport memorabilia, vintage toys, etc.). We consider objects with impressive pedigrees as well as rare collection catalogues and other unique documents. We have written articles on the history of collecting in various magazines and journals, including Meteorite, Colligo and Archives of Natural History. We make some of our specimens and documents available to other collectors from time to time.